BLISTER Gear Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles
Mountain Gazette owner, Mike Rogge on Feuds, Media Coverage, Movies, & More (Ep.305)
Mountain Gazette owner, Mike Rogge, is back to talk with Jonathan about their ongoing feud; media coverage of the eclipse; two stories from the soon-to-be-released MG #201; what they’re reading and watching; and more.
New Glade Goggles, Sunglasses, & Helmets | Blister Summit Video
Glade quickly made a name for themselves in the goggle market, offering versatile photochromic options that could be functional across a huge range of light conditions — and did so without eye-watering price tags. Since then, they’ve continued to refine their lenses, add new models, and expand into helmets and sunglasses. In this video from Blister Summit 2024, we got all the details on Glade’s newest collection of goggles, helmets, and sunglasses.
Flash Review: 24/25 Tecnica Zero G Tour Pro
We’ve been A/B testing the original and updated versions of Tecnica’s venerable Zero G Tour Pro — here are our thoughts so far on how the new boot compares.
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Flash Review — Norco Fluid VLT
The 2024 Norco Fluid VLT gets a thorough redesign including Bosch’s potent new Performance Line SX motor, and our early impressions have us rethinking the lightweight vs. full-power eMTB argument.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Ski / Snowboard Outerwear Roundup — Women’s (2023-2024)
This year we got in a whole lot of outerwear, from cozy insulated kits to burly shells — and a lot of those pieces are now on sale! In this roundup, we compare and contrast nearly a dozen of the latest women’s ski / snowboard jackets, pants, and bibs we’ve been testing.
2024-2025 Armada Locator 112
Our reviewer, Paul Forward, has been testing all sorts of touring skis for years, especially light and fat ones, and he says the Armada Locator 112 has “quickly become one of my favorite all-round skis for any of my human-powered skiing endeavors.” Check out our Full Review to see why.
Whiskey, Murder, and a Bunch of New Skis (Ep.293)
Luke and Jonathan discuss some of the new skis they’ve been testing this spring
Win MTB Gear from Crankbrothers
The winner of our Gear Giveaway this week will get a bunch of mountain bike gear from Crankbrothers, including their Mallet Trail Clip-In shoes, any pair of their pedals, and an S.O.S. tool kit of the winner’s choice!
Reviewing the News w/ Ryan Palmer, March 2024 (Ep.217)
In their third installment of Reviewing The News, Ryan and Simon get into: the slopestyle strike; Scott’s apparent management instability; riding in Tuscany; some reflections on how we ever rode without dropper posts; and some new lightweight eMTBs running the hotrod Bosch SX motor — including the 39 lb Norco Fluid VLT.
Giant Trance X
Giant has updated their longstanding Trance platform with the new Trance X and Trance X SX. Both the Trance X and Trance X SX get a lot more adjustability, more aggressive geometry, and some other refinements. Dig into our First Look to get all of the details on what Giant has cooked up.
Flash Review — Yeti SB165
The new Yeti SB165 has grown a mullet, but it sticks with (mostly) very similar geometry to the outgoing 27.5’’-wheeled version. Check out our initial impressions of how it all comes together.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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RAAW Jibb V2
RAAW updated their Madonna V3 Enduro bike earlier this year, adding a lot of adjustability and refinements, and now their shorter-travel Jibb gets many of the same tweaks, updated geometry, and more. Check out our First Look for all the info.
Flash Review — 2024 Rocky Mountain Altitude
The new Rocky Mountain Altitude doesn’t look anything like the old one, but how much has the on-trail experience changed? Check out our impressions so far.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Flash Review — 2025 Fox 38 Grip X2
Fox says that their new Grip X2 damper offers substantially more support and composure than the Grip2 one that it replaces — and that sounds like the change that our Bike Editor was looking for. Check out his early impressions of the Grip-X2-equipped Fox 38 Fork.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Fox’s Overhauled Fork Lineup | Grip SL, Grip X, Grip X2, & New 32 Step Cast
Fox just launched three new fork dampers — the Grip SL, Grip X, and Grip X2 — that are featured across the bulk of their latest fork lineup, and they have a new gold color option to go with them. Check out our First Look for all the info on the new forks, and our Flash Review for our early impressions of the Fox 38 Grip X2.
BLISTER Reviews, Podcasts, & Articles:
Vermont Mountain Bike Association on Assessing, Funding, & Building Adaptive Trails (Ep.234)
Vermont Mountain Bike Association, in conjunction with Vermont Adaptive Ski and Sports, are building an impressive network of adaptive trails. So we sat down to find out what has made them so successful; what goes into adaptive trail building; and why other trail organizations should take a look at what they’re doing.
Rocky Mountain Altitude
The new Rocky Mountain Altitude doesn’t look anything like the old one, but how do the new suspension layout and overhauled geometry come together on the trail? Check out our Full Review for our take.
Deep Dive: 2024 Rocky Mountain Altitude
We compare the Rocky Mountain Altitude to the prior-generation Altitude, Orbea Rallon, Santa Cruz Megatower, Chromag Lowdown, Yeti SB160, Pivot Firebird, RAAW Madonna, Trek Slash, Ibis HD6, and Yeti SB165.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Trek Fuel EXe Aluminum
Built around the quiet and smooth TQ HPR50 motor, Trek’s Fuel EXe provides an eMTB experience that non-motorized mountain bikers will find familiar. But, this eMTB also surprised us in a few ways that have nothing to do with its drive system. Check out our Full Review and accompanying video review.
Deep Dive: Trek Fuel EXe Aluminum
We compare the Trek Fuel EXe Aluminum to the Pivot Shuttle SL, Norco Fluid VLT 130, Cannondale Moterra SL, Pivot Shuttle AM, Trek Slash+, Santa Cruz Heckler SL, Rocky Mountain Instinct Powerplay, & Trek Fuel EX.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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2024-2025 WNDR Alpine Vital 98
Here are our measured specs, rocker profile pictures, and flex pattern numbers for the WNDR Alpine Vital 98.
Reviewing the News w/ Cody Townsend, July 2024 (Ep.319)
Cody and Jonathan discuss the Olympics; what makes someone an “athlete”; LeBron James & bikes; Amaury Pierron; the Most Canadian News; what we’re reading and watching; & more.
Flash Review — Formula Nebbia
The Nebbia is Formula’s unique take on a highly adjustable, modern air shock. We’ve been able to get a few rides on it, and our Flash Review has our early thoughts.
Blister’s Flash Reviews and Deep Dives are accessible to those who purchase one of our paid subscriptions
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Blister Labs: Results from our On-Snow Ski Testing & Dynamic Modeling (Ep.307)
Interested in ski design? Curious about where the next advancements in ski design might come from? Then you need to check out this conversation with Dr. Sean Humbert.
SRAM Maven Brakes
Mountain bike brakes have been creeping up in power in recent years, but SRAM’s claim that their new Maven brakes best their longstanding Codes by *50%* is still pretty wild. But it takes a lot more than just raw power to make a good brake, and after spending six months on the Maven Ultimates, we’re ready to weigh in on how well SRAM has done.
Win MTB Apparel From Endura
The two winners of our Gear Giveaway this week will each get a pair of shorts, gloves, socks, and a jersey from Endura!
Reviewing the News w/ Wade Simmons, July 2024 (Ep.233)
Simon is joined by freeride legend Wade Simmons for the July edition of Reviewing the News. Wade and Simon try to figure out why they keep crashing; then get into Crankworx Whistler, the wild Les Gets World Cup, the Olympics, chain lube, and a whole lot more.